Author(s): Naushad A Dilkash, Syed MD Husain, and Aijaz A Khan
Lead is virtually toxic to every organ of body including central nervous system where it may manifest as encephalopathy and hyposmia yet the exact mechanism of these clinical manifestations remains inconclusive. The present study was aimed to see the microscopic changes in the olfactory bulb of rat induced by oral administration of a lead compound in adult albino rats. A total number of 12 adult albino rats of either sex were included in the present study consisting of equal numbers in both control and experimental groups. Experimental group received 4% aquous lead acetate orally for a period of 3 weeks then animals of both groups were euthanized with overdose of general anaesthesia and perfused with 10% formalin. Olfactory bulbs were dissected out and processed for paraffin embedding. 10 μ-thick sections were stained with H&E and observed under light microscope. On gross examination brains from the experimental group revealed generalized edema and petechial haemorrhages. Histopathology of the olfactory bulbs revealed edema and congestion with vacuoles of variable sizes almost throughout. Distortion of glomeruli, clumping of periglomerular cells and increasing number of pyknotic cells were also noticed. It was concluded that lead has toxic effects on the central nervous system including olfactory bulb in the form of edema, microscopic hemorrhages and neuronal loss which may explain the clinical manifestations of lead toxicity.